Last Hearth
by benswife
Summary: Future Fic with an Jaime Lannister/OC pairing. Can the Lannisters and Umbers unite the north and the south?


Last Hearth lay to the Northeast of Winterfell. It was the last Castle before reaching the wall, the last of civilization or the first of it, depending on which direction one came from. It had been six years since both Greatjon and Smalljon had been slaughtered at the Red Wedding in defense of their Liege, Robb Stark. So for six years the Castle had been held by Linet and Ysabel Umber, younger sisters of Smalljon, daughters of the Greatjon. The Umber sisters had been ages 17 and 12 when their men had left to support Robb Stark. Linet's betrothed, one of the Karstarks, had gone with them, only to die in the first battle. Linet had not mourned him, not truly. She had barely known him. Many offers of marriage came after that, for both of the sisters and Linet had refused them all. A few attempts to take the Castle came as well and the sisters led the defense of their home with all that were left of their household. In the end they held on to both their home and their freedom better than most women in the kingdom had been able to manage.

When the mother of Dragons came, her war had little effect on those so far North. A new Queen sat in the South and their lives remained much the same. It was the war to the North that finally dealt them a cutting blow. Wildlings sought their walls for shelter, as well as men of the Watch. The sisters granted it, unsure of how they would feed so many.

"We are down to twenty four sacks of grain, eight barrels of ale, nineteen hams, seventeen bushels of potatoes, and forty pounds of sausage." Linet told Ysabel and their Maester Gadreth. "We have to feed thirty of our own household, one hundred and twenty four wildlings, and fifty men of the watch. Our food won't last more than a week for so many."

"A week is stretching it." The Old Maester said with a tone of sadness. "I've seen as much eaten in one evening for a feast. They ought to be sent away, but they will very likely resist if you try to make them leave now."

"Tell the men they must hunt or fish for more provisions if they wish to remain." Ysabel put in. "The wildling women can hunt too. We shouldn't have to feed them all our food."

"Ysabel, we can't. Not in those terms anyway. If they suspect that there is a shortage of food, they very well might begin to fight over it, to fight us. We can't hope to cast out so many...though they might leave on their own once they have eaten all we have…"

"Why do you always have to be like this?" Ysabel said, exasperated. "If you hadn't insisted on _showing them kindness _we wouldn't be in this mess! This is our home. Father wouldn't have wanted it taken over by wildinglings and that scraggly bunch of men in black!"

"Those scraggly men, have aided in the protection of our home for hundreds of years… and the wildlings are just people with just as much right to escape the white walkers as we have...There has to be another way." Linet sighed.

"I am afraid," Gadreth began, "That even if you can find a way to feed them all, more will come. There are things happening beyond the wall, a true war has begun in the North and it is very likely that the armies will gather here when it all comes to a head."

The two young women looked at him, horrified. "So what do we do?" Linet finally asked.

"There is the letter that came from the Queen a fortnight ago. The one that angered you so much that you broke your harp." The Maester reminded Linet.

"What letter? Why was I not told of any of this?" Ysabel said. "You broke your harp." Ysabel could scarcely believe that anything could anger her sister enough to break her beloved harp.

"The Queen sent a letter. An offer of marriage. She wanted the Kingslayer banished from the Capital and believed that a Lannister Umber alliance would serve to unite the kingdom further. She offered to send food for the wedding feast as well as add to the household with servants, guards, and supplies for winter. And Jaime would bring much of his own household as well…" Linet trailed off. "But I can't marry a Lannister anymore than I could marry a Boulton! Not after Father and Jon…"

Ysabel put an arm around her sister.

"I can not blame you for your reservations." The Maester said kindly. "I was present at your birth and have watched you grow through all of your namedays. I would never wish you unhappiness nor would I wish to dishonor your father and brother. But the harsh truth is, none of us will survive the winter without aid from the South. The Starks can not help us, they are still rebuilding Winterfell. Bran would gladly send aid after if he had it to give. Of that I am sure. Karhold and Dreadfort have already sent all the aid they are willing to give. If you refuse this marriage, it will mean all of our deaths."

Linet met the old maesters eyes, her own filled with tears as much as his.

"I am an old man, and do not expect to have many more years, but Ysabel does not deserve such a fate, neither do you. Do not let your pride be your death. I beg of you!"

Linet took a deep breath and composed herself. "Send the reply. Tell the Queen I accept her offer."

It would be three months before the Lannister party arrived but supplies starting coming from the south by ship much sooner than that. By the time they did finally arrive, enough supplies had come that they were at least in no danger of starvation any longer. The sisters chose to ride out and meet them, rather than wait and open their doors to more strangers. Linet wanted to meet her husband before inviting him into the safety of her walls. She knew that ultimately she would have allow him inside the castle, but one last moment of control on the back of her favorite silver destrier was needed before she lost her freedom to this Lannister.

Jaime came on horseback as well, leading his party of about forty with their sleds full of wares and supplies. He met them on the road, bringing his horse nose to nose with Ysabel's.

"Ser Jaime, I am Linet of House Umber. I trust you are well after your journey." She said. It sounded polite and kind, but Jaime appeared to be suffering greatly from the cold while Ysabel was perfectly warm without furs, with just a wool cloak to cover her dress. The mockery was not lost on him.

"I am well enough and I am quite happy to discover that the rumors about Lady Umber are true after all." Jaime said with a grin.

"What rumors are those?" Ysabel demanded before Linet could stop her.

"Rumors about her beauty, of course." he said.

The sisters looked at each other, unsure if he had meant to compliment or insult her. Jaime grinned, he had obviously intended to be vague.

"The castle is this way." Linet turned her horse and trotted away. Her sister and the Lannister party followed after her.

The gates had been left open and Linet dismounted her horse just after they reached the safety of the walls. A servant led her horse away. She turned around and found Jaime standing directly in front of her. He said nothing but his stare made her feel uncomfortable.

"Can I help you with something, Ser?"

"No, I just wanted a better look at what exactly I am trading my freedom for." He said, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"Your chambers will be on the east wing until the ceremony." Linet said, sounding braver than she felt. "Tormond will show you the way." She pulled away from his touch, willing herself not to tremble and not to ask him if he found her a worthy trade.

She watched in fascination as Tormond led Jaimie away to his room. He was as handsome as he had been rumored to be, even with the loss of his hand. Though she knew he was not the warrior he had once been, something about him frightened and intrigued her. Linet had killed men in battle before, granted it had been from a distance with a bow or a spear but she had wielded the weapon that made them die. She realized with a pang, that what frightened her about Jaime was his charm. It was easy to kill men who meant to breach the castle walls or who were sworn enemies of her house. But to kill a man who could unnerve her with one touch, make her feel like some great beauty with a fetching smile, well that was far more complicated than she had anticipated. Of course she hadn't really planned to kill him anyway, only to hate him.

The wedding would take place in a fortnight and would be a simple affair. Linet did not want an elaborate feast or ceremony. It didn't make sense to waste food on frivolity when there was still a very real threat on it's way from beyond the wall. If Jaime had any objections to this, Linet never heard about them. The pair did not see each other again after the initial meeting when Jaime arrived. She kept to the west side of the castle and he to the east. She took her meals in her chambers and on the rare occasion that she took them in the great hall, he did not. It was a conflict of their household staff that forced Linet to speak to her betrothed just three days prior to the wedding.

She chose a wool gown in the Umber red colors, feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment that her own colors were so similar to the Lannister red. At least it was red and silver, not red and gold. Next she braided her long brown curls into a single long braid and clasped a thin silver chain around her neck. Linet took a fur cloak with her to cross the yard and removed it once she was back inside the walls again. The halls on this side were filled with Lannister men, hence the reason she had been avoiding this side of the castle. She did not trust these men, they were not Umber men. Would they protect these walls and obey her orders if their lord wasn't around to command them? She couldn't be sure. She couldn't even be sure she could trust _him _either. Warily, she knocked on the thick wooden door.

"Come in." Jaime called from the other side. Linet took a breath and pushed the door open. "My lady, my apologies, I wasn't expecting you." Clearly he wasn't. His golden hand lay on a table, his tunic untucked, hair askew.

"No, the fault is mine. I should have warned you I was coming. I need to speak to you about the household, my lord." Linet said.

"What about them?" Jaime asked, having tucked in his tunic and smoothed his hair back into place.

"Luthor Woods has been Captain of the quard for these past six years. He has served me well and has the loyalty of all the servants who were here before you arrived." She began, hoping he would understand what she was hinting at.

"I see, and you think that my replacing him with Hugo Swyft was a poor decision?"

Linet took a moment before speaking. She knew that in the South, Ladies were supposed to be more gentle and let their husbands rule the keep. Here in the north, wives had opinions, had a great deal more leverage in ruling a house. Never in seven hells would she make herself become the southerner wife that this Lannister might expect her to be, but she could not drive him to hate her before they even wed if she wanted her house to survive. "I think," Linet stepped closer to him and met his eyes with a steely gaze, "That it _would _be a poor decision if the Lannister men and Umber men were to kill each other off and we had no household guard left. Don't you?"

Jaime shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "Then order your men to obey mine. You are the lady of the house, are you not?"

Was he insulting her femininity again? Or did he simply doubt her ability to rule? "My men will obey me if I tell them that Swyft is to be the new Captain but that's not the point."

"And why not? Tell your men that they are getting a young, well trained, Captain of the guard. Your Luthor Woods can rest in his old age and let the young men do all the work and your household gets a more experienced man to serve it. I don't see the problem." Jaime told her, taking a step nearer, closing the space between them.

Distressed by the closeness, Linet moved to take a step back and found that a table behind her blocked her path. Jaime's arm came around her, keeping her from falling over backwards. Seeing the fear in her eyes at her predicament, he let her go, stepping aside to let her past.

"The problem, is that no one here has forgotten how my father and brother died or _who _it was that ordered their deaths. If I order my men to obey yours, they will believe that you have forced my hand. If you were a northerner I'm sure you could make any changes to the household you wished and no one would think much of it. But as things stand, my men are worried that you wish to harm my sister and I."

"That's madness." Jaime said, seemingly horrified and insulted by her words.

Linet found herself feeling relief at his reaction. Had he maintained his nonchalant demeanor she might have been worried, but this was a good indication that he truly meant no harm.

"The queen would likely have my head if anything were to happen to any Umbers, no matter if I arranged it or not. Besides, I wouldn't harm a lady." He said, vehemently.

"I tried to tell them that. At least the part about the queen… but they are not inclined to believe me or forgive you your name."

"I think you've not forgiven me either, not for my name or for coming here at all." He said, his green eyes meeting her blue eyes.

"I… I suppose you're right. I haven't." She said, frustrated with him for changing the subject. "But it matters not. What do you propose we do about this matter with the Captain of the guard?"

"I think I need some time to think it over." Jaime said with a grin. "Join me for dinner tonight and I'll have a decision for you by then."

Linet glared at him.

"Fine. Join me for dinner and I will tell Hugo he is being made master at arms and your man can have his job back."

Linet sighed. "Here in your chambers?"

"Yes here. We'll leave the door open and your guards can listen if you like." He countered.

"Alright then." She agreed.


End file.
